Everybody needs the Peace run

During 2015 when my wife and I were preparing for Ironman Chattanooga, we worked with and owe a lot of our success to the training and mental preparation from Katie Malone, head coach at Malone Coaching.  She set our training plan from almost a year out.  With her I made two successive PRs in the half marathon distance, the 2nd of which was a rather hilly route.  I PR'd in the 10 mile distance, also on a hilly route.  I PR'd the half Ironman distance (5h10m, PR by 45 min) and we both went below our goal times for IM Chattanooga (I went 11h49m, goal time 12h).  At IM Chatt, I also met my secondary goal which was to be in the top 50 in my AG (46th). 

In that year of training we had hard workouts, long workouts, very specific workouts and much needed rest days - and I mean TRUE rest days where we had very specific instructions to minimize our physical output - certainly no workout for that day.  One particular run sticks in my mind and after the week I've had, I needed to re-create it. 

I'm not sure I'm remembering what she called it correctly, but I believe she called it a 'Peace' run.  Put away the devices, forget about any plan or specific run workout, just lace up and shoes and run; for the pure love of it.  On that particular day, Jenny and I ran into Paris Mountain State Park.  For us in our new home, it's basically our go-to run.  In fact, if I had to route out a 'flat' route from the house, it would be into the park and around Lake Placid.

It didn't hurt that Katie also sent out her weekly newsletter today with some great reminders to just get out and enjoy what you do and what we are so blessed to have here in the Upstate. 

Today, after a week of work, an eye exam that left me with bleeding eyes (figuratively of course) and a bit of a headache, I needed a Peace run.  When I got home and after I unloaded the groceries, I wasted no time in finding my trail shoes and heading over to the park. 

No heart rate monitor, no garmin, just my Nike shoes, my Maui Jim's and my running kit.  It's about a mile on pavement before I turn into the park, then a short run before I turn onto Mountain Creek trail. 

Mountain Creek to the Turtle trail connector, Turtle trail to the road, then back towards the Park Center.  Around Lake Placid, out and back on Turtle trail with a cut through on the connector back to Mountain creek.  Then the mile back to the house on pavement.  Five miles of pure running bliss. 

I took it easy today, or maybe I didn't, I just ran however my body and mind dictated.  The feeling of my heart beat in my ears, the sound of my breath, the scents of the forest, the wind in my beard.  All the things that running should be. 

Go find your own Peace run, then tell me about it. 

Tuesdays at SCTAC

Tuesdays at SCTAC - the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center, formerly known as Donaldson have been a tradition for a long time.  I don't know how long, but I got involved in 2008 and they had already been a fixture in the Greenville Bicycling scene for many many years. 

During 2008 - 2011 I was quite active in these tuesday night rides - even becoming quite the fixture as a ride leader for the fastest country loop (known as the C20+ hammerhead ride at the time).  That group was a relatively small core group of about a dozen or so with most rides starting out around 25 cyclists.  That is a good number for a group ride on public roadways.  The core group worked well together and we turned some pretty fast loops of that country route.  We always tried our best to be respectful of the traffic out there.  Usually the size of the group steadily decreased throughout the ride and generally finished with just a few more than the core group that started.

In 2012 I got a bit disillusioned by the size of the groups and their manners.  The fast country group had expanded to 50 to 60+ riders and the few times I rode with them they acted like it was a race rather than a hard group ride.  Respect for traffic was not great and safety of the group was secondary to getting off the front.  (I'm sure plenty of people will argue with me, but this is the way I felt when I went out with that group early in 2012). 

I stopped going to the Tuesday night rides.  2012 was the year I got into triathlon and had recently met the woman who is now my wife.  We did all of our rides together and they did not include the SCTAC tuesday night rides. 

Fast forward to 2016.  In a brief conversation with a member of the Greenville Spinners board I suggested that I could probably help out with the ride leader duties.  I knew that I was not in the same shape as I was at the end of 2011 and into 2012, but I thought I could help out with what I know to be one of the largest groups out there - what they call the C18.  Of course the C18 group has a targeted average speed of 18 mph.  Frequently this average speed ends up above 19mph and I've heard complaints that it ends up sometimes near 20 mph.  2 mph difference in average speed is a lot over the course of 30 ish miles. 

So, last Tuesday I loaded up my bike and my gear in my truck, headed to work for the day.  At the end of the day, I cruised over to SCTAC with plenty of time to get ready to ride.  It was nice to see some old friends out there - some of whom I haven't seen since I'd ridden at SCTAC last.  I was a bit nervous, after all, my fitness isn't really there yet and my longest ride was just last weekend at 49 miles.  My previous longest (since IM Chattanooga) was 33 miles.  My only saving grace I think is the fact that nearly all of my rides since IM Chatt have been in our local mountains.  That means climbing and that builds a lot of strength.  I'd been running good distances lately so I felt ok about my endurance. 

I chatted with the Spinners President and the ride coordinator and let them know I'd be happy to lead the C18 group.  We watched what now seems to be called the C24 group head out for their ride.  It was a pretty big group but I didn't really get a sense of how many - 40 maybe?  I don't know. 

Finally, Jill called everyone up for the C18 group and announced me as ride leader.  Someone asked about our route and someone else said 'The Prison route' with a distance of about 31 miles.  While I know just about all of the roads out there, I wasn't sure exactly which way they were talking about getting to the prison.  No worries, we just headed on down the road.

Almost immediately our average speed was 18mph.  Jumped pretty quickly to 18.5 and kind of stayed there until after we crossed W. Georgia road and headed up Garrison road.  I had been on the front with a great guy who introduced himself as Mark.  He had been riding out there lately and was familiar with the route.  We began to move off of the front to give others the opportunity to lead. 

Not surprisingly, after the stop sign on Richey Road, the pace started to pick up.  Richey road has a nice little hill on it and it can really zap you.  It's fairly typical for people to push up that hill so truly not a surprise to me that the group started to blow apart.  What did surprise me was the fact that they stopped at the stop sign and waited for the group to reassemble.  Thanks.  This gives me hope for the cyclists in the upstate and restored in me some faith that riding in these groups is going to be ok. 

It's a serious pet peeve of mine to go out for a group ride where people get dropped, stop signs are ignored and traffic isn't looked at safely.  Up to this point, the group had been doing well.  Some of it because I was on the front, but it certainly wasn't all because of me - these folks were getting it. 

As we made the turn onto Woodville road, I figured we'd be in for another hard push to the next stop.  As we pulled away from the stop, I heard someone call out that a group had stopped.  I sprinted to the front of the group and told Mark that he was now the ride leader - I was going back for the group. 

It didn't take long before a solitary rider approached.  I asked him what the story was - He was dropping from the group saying "I should have gone with the C16 group".  But he also told me that a guy had stopped to adjust his seat and was also dropping from this C18 group.  Oops, now I have some catching up to do...

If you know me, you know I live for that kind of thing.  I don't want to ride out there by myself, so I put my head down, got into the drops and kicked it up a notch.  Woodville road is a super fun road to ride.  Mostly a slight downhill grade, with a sharp but quick uphill as you approach the turn onto Davis road.  I pushed myself for all I had and I just caught onto the back of the group as they started up that sharp uphill. 

Just as I caught on, I saw my good friend big Jerry pull off to the side - his saddlebag had gotten slightly askew crossing the bumps on the bridge.  I called out to him to meet me at the top and we could play catch-up old school.  Which means I was going to do my best to pull him back to the group.  There'd been plenty of times he and I had traded pulls on some hard rides, so I knew he'd be up for it.  Sure enough, as the group pulled away, he and I got together and started working. 

I did a longish pull that took us half way up the hill on Reedy Fork road and Jerry pulled through.  As we got near the turn onto Old Hundred road, I began a second pull.  We traded pulls one more time before I made a last long pull to catch the group just as they slowed down for the stop sign at Hwy 418.  I was getting whipped, but I loved it.  This is where the strength comes from - hard intervals followed by short periods of rest. 

We rested briefly at the stop sign until traffic allowed the group to pass.  Again, this group was impressing me.  Regroups, stops and respect for the traffic - most of the reasons I had stopped riding at SCTAC. 

Not surprisingly, in the miles to come the pace increased and gaps in the group were formed.  I played as much as possible chasing down the leaders whenever a gap opened in front of me.  I love that stuff.  Getting in the drops and just pushing hard to reel in someone in front of me.  I'd like to say I always caught the leaders, but alas, there were several times I was still reeling when they slowed for a stop sign.

By the time we got back to Reedy Fork road and headed back to SCTAC, I had regained my position near the front of the group.  Perhaps they still recognized me as the ride leader, I don't know.  They were still pushing pretty hard, but the group was a little more together it seemed.  I stayed tucked in near the front - I couldn't stay up there in the wind - until we turned onto Michelin Road.  At that point, my average speed was showing 19.1mph and I had decided that I'd be mostly noodling it back to the car. 

I finished with an average of 18.6mph and 31miles for the ride. 

My key takeaway from this ride is that there is hope for the Upstate Cyclists.  The new route is much more traffic friendly (roads are smaller with much less traffic) and the riders are showing respect for the road and the group's safety.  

Finally, although those guys were stronger than me on this day, it's still early in the season....

Altamont Marathon / half / 26.2 relay race review

Today was a great day in Upstate SC.  Not only did we have some fantastic weather but one of the great new(ish) races happened today.  The brainchild of Coach Matt Hammersmith, the Altamont races are up and over our very own Paris Mountain. 

I say races because it is four in one (five if you count the ruck division which is part of the half marathon).  Except for the 5k, all of the races go up and over Paris Mountain via Altamont road.  This year, the full marathon crosses the summit 4 times, the half marathon (and ruck division) crosses twice and the Mountain goat relay traverses the same 4 summits as the marathon.

The relay is intended to be a 4 person relay, but as we got signed up, one of our members realized he had a conflict and had to pull out.  We didn't have a fourth at that point, so I chatted with my remaining team-mate and we decided to do the relay as a 2 person team.  That gave each of us the opportunity to run the half marathon course on our way to the finish.

The participant list seems to have been taken down, and the results are not yet up, but if I recall, there were about 6 relay teams out there.  Marty gave me the pleasure of going first, so I got to start with the masses.  There were about 50 half marathon runners that the relay teams started with so it was a pretty good group.

Of course the race immediately goes uphill, for just a little under 3 miles we climb to the first summit of Paris Mt on Altamont road.   Not surprisingly, some strong runners immediately went off the front.  I was close enough to see them make the turn onto Altamont road, but that was the last I saw of them until I crossed their path after their turn-around.

Last year I ran this relay as part of a 4 person team but I did so as a long run - even though only one leg (6.6 ish miles) counted in our relay effort, I went ahead and ran back to my car to make it a half distance.  I did that last year in something close to 2 hours (possibly just over 2 hours I don't recall).  I was in better run condition last year so this year my target was to race this event and finish the half marathon distance in under 2 hours (targeting an average 9 minute / mile pace or better).

As I set out on the lower slopes, per my last blog, I had a specific heart rate target for the uphills.  That target was 155bpm.  Maybe it was the focus that being in a race brings, but I had no trouble hitting and maintaining this HR during today's climbs.  It seemed like every time I looked down at my garmin, the HR was 154.  Yes, there were a few times I saw 157 (and once I did see 159 on a very steep section), but overall, I felt very consistent.

Looking at my garmin data, it does appear that I had peak HR above my target, but my averages are spot on for the uphill sections.  Overall I felt strong on the hills, training around the house and having Altamont road as my 'backyard' doesn't hurt!

As far as the downhills went, I didn't have a specific HR in mind, of course I wanted to try to keep it high which would indicate my effort was strong, but I was more interested in running as fast as I could with good form and without out-running my feet.  Clearly my avg HR was much lower on the downhills, but frequently it was still above 145 which pleased me.  

As I crested the top for the first time, I was neck and neck with a guy I know.  For some reason, I felt I had to out run him.  As we headed down the mountain for the first time, I opened my stride and let myself run free.  It didn't take long before I had opened a small gap.  I didn't dwell on it though - I needed to just run my race.  Lots of things can happen in a race, and of course I could have bonked.  Or worse, I could have out-run my feet and face planted.  I ran well so I'm thankful for that.

I had my first gu on the way down the first slopes coming off the summit.  Followed that with some water and I was feeling pretty good.  Perhaps a mile or a so from the turn-around, there is a very steep section of Altamont road.  On the way out we ran down it and of course up it on the way back.  I had started to feel a little niggle in my right hamstring, so down this steep section, I shortened up my stride and changed from forefoot to heel strike.  This took some pressure off my hamstring and I just kept that shortened stride the remainder of the way down the mountain.  I did change back to forefoot strike after the steep section, but it seemed like whatever was going on had reduced significantly.

At the turn, I had been trying to count the relay teams in front of me.  I was thinking that I was running in third place.   

After the turn around, I saw the guy I'm trying to beat and I had opened a pretty good gap.  Again, nothing's guaranteed, so I reminded myself to just run my own race.  Back to the target 155 HR and steady Eddie.

My HR did peak on that steep section where I had to change-up my stride, but the hamstring issues were pretty much gone.  I did take some base salt on the way up and that seemed to help.  Somewhere in there I had taken a second gu.  I don't recall exactly when, but my stomach started complaining to me and I realized I needed to hold back a bit.  That is when I took in the base salt. 

Altamont road from the CVS side is a series of 4 (I think - I can never remember!).  You get a little break here and there on the way up that side.  I tried to take advantage of all of the flats and downhills as much as possible.  At the summit my average pace was 9m20s per mile.  Not quite good enough to break 2 hours, but I knew what was coming for the last 3(ish) miles. 

Once I crossed the summit, I tried to let it loose and of course this is where my fastest miles occurred.  I watched as my average pace dropped to 9m10s / mile, then close to 9m per mile.  I came to the end of Altamont road, made the right turn and continued to push.  Not far from that turn, I see Matt Hammersmith himself coming up the hill.  Clearly he's running as a member of a relay team - to my knowledge, we were in third at that time.  He looked at me and said "you're killing it!".  Pretty good praise from a very strong athlete.  I found out later that he was running the third leg for what turned out to be the 2nd place team.

Finally, as I made the final turn to finish up my lap and hand off to Marty, my pace was under 9m / mile.  The half marathon finishes with a lap of the park, and for the relay we actually get to cross the finish line before we hand off.  I tagged off at 1h57m45s which my garmin showed as 8m55s per mile average pace.  I'm not sure I could have run that much faster!

After I finished, I was chatting with a friend who was on Matt's team - he was the first runner on that team.  They had been passed in the 2nd leg and he confirmed that I had brought us in in third place - that pleased me, especially considering the caliber of the runners in front of us. 

My team mate Marty is a very strong runner who is in the midst of prep for his first 100 miler.  He's been knocking out the miles so he has some awesome endurance.  It doesn't hurt that he's also a strong runner who can knock out some fast miles.  We waited and watched as the first and 2nd place teams came in for the finish.  I missed the 1st place team come in, but the 2nd place team finished in 3h25m (roughly).  Marty had a strong run with a half marathon time of 1h52m.  That did put us in third for the relay teams with a total of 3h50m.

I wanted to upload a summary of my race, but I'm having trouble with getting my data uploaded - I'll try to update if I get that problem resolved.

So, key elements from today - focus on HR and moderate effort to allow for a strong finish.  Maintain good form both uphill and downhill.  Listen to your body and take nutrition and hydrate per plan.  Be flexible in your nutrition and be ready to adjust.  Most importantly - HAVE FUN!!

There's nothing but hills around here!!

First blog in quite some time.  Lots has happened, IM Chattanooga '15 was the biggest thing.  This blog isn't about that, it's about today's workout. 

We've recently moved you see.  At the old house, not far from Bob Jones University in my adopted hometown of Greenville, there were plenty of hills.  Tough to find a flat course when running from the house for anything less than 5ish miles.  However, the Swamp Rabbit Trail (SRT) was just 2 miles away and that was great for a longer run.  It was quick to get to the SRT (by car) if we had a specific workout of a shorter duration as well. 

All of that running on relatively flat ground did pay off in September of 2015 when we did IM Chattanooga.  Both my wife and I accomplished our goals and we are very pleased with those results (Thanks Katie!).  A lot of those mid-distance (and many of the longer distance runs) were on the SRT because Katie was asking us to hit specific paces, heart rate and / or perceived effort.  On flat ground it is relatively easy to hold a steady heart rate or pace. 

However, since we've moved, we now live about a mile from the entrance to Paris Mt State Park.  I only thought the previous place was hilly! 

Tonight's workout was intended to be about an hour.  Warm up was to be 1.5ish miles with 4ish miles at a steady effort / heart rate, and then a warm-down of whatever I felt I needed (min 1/2 mile). 

My target heart rate today was 145 - 150bpm.  On flat ground I would have simply said 150, but knowing that I had a lot of hills in front of me and that I haven't done this type of focused workout lately, I decided I would give myself some latitude.  

It must be time to change the battery in the HR strap because it took longer to warm up than it took my body - HR of 190bpm would have me on the ground doing the kickin' chicken!  However, after about 1.5 miles it did settle down to register the correct HR. 

So, it's been a while (since IM Chatt!) since I really have done some strict targeted HR runs.  I've done speed work, and I've done long slow(ish) / steady efforts, but I haven't really incorporated this demand for discipline into my mid-distance runs.  I know it is going to help me in the long run, thus the reason for setting a target for today's run.

Well, if I were to turn my data in for analysis, I'd be a huge failure!!  Running these hills around the house is TOUGH!  Uphill my HR was bouncing off 158 or 160 before I caught it, going downhills (especially the steeper hills) I'd see my HR at 135 or less.  Even on the milder descents I would find myself in the low 140s before I realized it. There is a LOT more work to be done for these workouts around the house. 

So why do I even care about hitting a target?  This is how you train yourself to execute a plan on race day.  It's easy to just go out and go hard from the gun.  Probably survivable for sprint distance triathlons, maybe even up to International distance.  However, especially when the distances start to go into the half Iron distance or more, it's vital that you can plan your race and execute that plan.  Finishing shouldn't be the only goal - finishing strong should be the goal. 

Winter Challenge 2015

Last weekend, for the 5th time, I lined up at the start for the XII Winter Challenge.  This is truly my favorite race.  I absolutely love the multi-sport events, and this one is very special.  Why is it special?  Perhaps many reasons, but one reason is because of the Williams Family and their own love of the race.

I'm not going to say I know each and every one of the Williams family, but I do feel like I know Chris and his wife Lisa as well as his brother Michael.  Along with other Williams brothers and their Father, they open their property to over 100 crazy people each February for 23 miles of racing bliss.  Some may look at the race format and question whether this is really bliss or not.

What is this Winter Challenge? It is a very unique Triathlon (they also offer a Duathlon, but my interest and focus is on the tri).  The tri consists of a 7 mile trail run, a 6 mile paddle and a 10 mile mountain bike.  On the surface nothing about the terrain makes any of these individual events difficult, but as I'll try to convey, this race is never easy.  One thing that makes this race interesting is that it is different every year - and every year I cross that finish line, I cross with a huge smile on my face.  I love this race.

Why is this race different every year?  In one way, you could say that the year to year differences are due primarily to the weather.  Big ice storm comes through the week before the event?  The Williams family (and MANY supporters) dig it out and salvage as much of the trail system as possible.  Were they able to clear every bit of trail?  No, so they had to make a modification.  Rain soaks the ground for several days before the race - what could have been a smooth trail now turns into a mucky mess that sucks shoes off your feet but provides cohesiveness to the sand and makes for a fast mountain bike.  Race morning dawns clear with no wind, the lake looks like glass - the sun heats up the ground surrounding the lake, causing air currents and the wind picks up just about the time the first competitors are getting into their kayaks.

But it's not just the weather - This year Chris reminded us "...it's a Timber farm - we had to re-route some trail due to harvesting of crops...".  Now there is a new trail which brings in all the challenges of a new trail (soft soil, roots and stumps, perhaps not always smooth).  The distances are always the same (or very close) year to year, but I don't think I've ever raced on exactly the same course in each of the events in which I've participated. 

Then there's the weather on race day.  Since the race is in the middle of the winter in South Carolina, it is a total crap-shoot on what you're going to end up with on race day.  This year the weather was outstanding.  The early morning conditions lulled all of the competitors into thinking the race was not going to be epic.  Of course by the time the race started the wind was beginning to pick up.  What had been glassy conditions on the lake now started showing white caps.  I've done this race with ice on the ground, during a rain storm - seems like almost every weather condition except snow.

But all of that goes into the character of this race - The Williams family and their hospitality, their beautiful farm, the conditions leading up to race day and the conditions on race day.  What it adds up to is 23 miles of racing bliss.

This year was a good year for me at the Winter Challenge.  Jenny and I have signed on with Malone Coaching and in just a few months Katie has brought me to a new level of fitness.  I've PR'd on each of my last two half marathons as well as the Green Valley 10 miler.  I actually did get out and paddle more than once before the Winter Challenge.  And while she has had us doing some bike work, I wasn't sure what to expect from my mountain bike.

When I lined up at the start, I actually lined up right at the front.  I didn't expect to be the fastest runner, but I felt confident in my run fitness and decided there was plenty of time in the first 3/4 mile for anyone to pass me if I wasn't quite fast enough.  Turns out I lined up just about exactly where I needed to be.  While I was passed by a few people in that first 3/4 mile (or so), we all sorted ourselves out in that distance and except for one person, no-one else passed me for the remainder of the run.

My race strategy was to go out hard and do my best to maintain that effort.  I pushed myself on that run, finishing out with a pace just under 8min / mile.  Certainly not the fastest - in fact about 14th fastest (out of 53).  Because I was just on the mend from a cold, I was very pleased with that run.

When you come off the run you go direct to the kayak, bypassing the transition area - in fact the transition area becomes the boat launch.  I threw on my camelback, my PFD, grabbed my paddle and asked a volunteer to help launch me.  I paddled out directly into the wind which had decided to come up as we were running.  THAT WIND SUCKED!!!  It was coming from our 11 o'clock for the first stretch, we got a bit of relief down the back stretch, but it hit us again from about 7 o'clock when we started making the turn at the end of the lap.  IT SUCKED!! 

The kayak course is 3 laps of the lake.  In reality my Garmin only clocked just over 5 miles.  It took me just over an hour to complete the kayak portion of the race.  Each of the three laps were the same - fight that wind on the front straight up to near the end of the lake, relatively calm conditions for about 2/3rds of the lake on the back straight before starting to feel the effects of the wind as you reached the front turn.  Have I said how much that wind sucked??

My 1h2m paddle time was enough for 11th in the paddle.  I passed several people out there on the first lap, so that advanced me some positions. I may have passed more on the 2nd and 3rd laps but it becomes very difficult to know who is actually still in front of you after that first lap. I know that a few people passed me before I finished.

What I need to consider is the impact my boat is having on my paddle time.  Most of the people who finished that paddle faster than me were paddling racing boats.  Here I am in my touring boat.  What might I be able to do in a real racing boat?  Perhaps next year I'll have to see about renting one of those fast boats...

Jenny had completed her duathlon (3rd female!!) and was there to meet me as I landed my boat.  She helped stabilize the boat as I disembarked and she told me that she thought I was in the top 10.  

Coming out of the boat is the best part of this race.  Consider what you've just put your legs through;  Seven miles of all-out running followed by something close to an hour where your legs have been nearly immobile.  They don't really want to work all that well when you come out of your boat.  For a spectator, watching the competitors come out of their boats is probably very funny.  I know my legs weren't fully cooperating until I had reached the transition area.

I'm pretty sure I lost a couple of spots coming off the boat and during that transition to the bike.  I really need to work on that.  Having to pass someone, or worse yet, missing out on the opportunity to pass someone because I'm slow in transition just makes it harder to advance position.  However, I know that I have a pretty good bike, so I just got to the business of riding my bike and taking as many positions as I could. 

I chased down Batman for the first two miles and passed him just about the time we crossed the mats at the start / finish line before riding on to the 2nd part of the course.  I tracked down and passed several people in the next few miles before crossing the road.  Shortly after crossing the road I had Chris Williams himself in my crosshairs and checked him off my list as I continued my climb up the overall rankings.

After Chris, I battled another competitor for a while.  He was strong in the double track or non-technical sections, I was much faster in the singletrack or technical sections.  Eventually he just let me pass.  For me it was now up to how much time I can put into him before that last mile plus (on non-technical terrain) to the finish.  All I could do was what I had been doing - push hard and ride smooth.

I was surprised when a couple of guys ( I think they were Relay teams) passed me rather late in that section on the other side of the road.  They were flying!!  I did my best to keep them in sight, but they were wicked strong and I was left to worry about those who might be behind me.  My right calf was and had been cramping a bit, so I was trying to treat it nicely....whatever that really means.

I crossed the road and I knew I only had something less than a mile.  I had just passed another guy so I shifted up to my big ring and pushed hard into the wind for the final stretch.  I managed to hold off that guy I was most worried about (he was stronger on the non technical) by about 20 seconds to finish in 2h48m06s.

That finish put me into 8th place overall.  That is my best finish for this race.  I'm already thinking about how I'm going to trim the 12 minutes that will bump me up to a podium position...

So you want to ride a bike? First step: Find the right fit.

A friend has asked me to put together some information that would be helpful to someone who is interested in getting into cycling but doesn't really know where to start.  I have been riding bikes for quite some time - really it started in 1985, however there have been periods that I have not really been cycling much.

That being said, I've been consistently cycling since returning to Greenville in 2005.  Started with my mountain bike, then more recently onto a road bike.  Between my wife and I we have 9 bikes.  Some are ridden more than others of course, but they span the range from a vintage Schwinn Tandem to a high end full carbon road bike and includes various other road and mountain bikes.

So, how's that help you, maybe not much right now, but my experience with bikes is what I hope to share with you so you can make some sense out of the whole bicycling scene.  You see, selecting a bike (new or used) starts with finding the right fit.  The right fit is really about three things:

• Your lifestyle and the type of riding you want to do.
• How much money you wish to spend (how does the purchase fit your wallet)
• Your physical size and fitting the proper frame size to you.  

The very first thing I want to encourage is for you to find all of the local bike shops in your area.  Forget about bikes from big box stores (especially from places like Wal-Mart, Target, KMart, etc.) and steer away from even the big box sporting good stores (locally we have Academy Sports, Dick's, etc.).  The key point here is you want to find a place where the people are VERY knowledgeable about bikes.  The local bike shop is your very best source of information and for quality bikes.

1.  Your Lifestyle and type of riding
So, let's get started on fitting you to a bike.  First you need to consider what type of riding you wish to do.  There are a TON of different types or styles of bikes out there, just check out this page from Bicycling Magazine.  I count 28 different styles of bikes on that page!!

However, even with 28 styles of bikes, you can still create a smaller number of groupings.  Clearly, even Bicycling Magazine has broken it down to a certain extent.  Just within the Road and Mountain categories are a total of 18 specific styles.

Since this post is intended for a new rider who's interested in getting fit, I'm going to try to keep it  relatively simple and break it down into only three Categories:  Road, Mountain and Hybrid.

Road Bikes:
Road bikes are generally a skinny tire bike that obviously goes best on the road (and generally quite fast).  Think of Le Tour de France.  While those bikes are true race bikes, most 'roadies' are riding bikes quite similar to what those Pros are riding.  Generally these bikes have a total of 20-22 speeds (gears) and a body forward riding position.  Depending on where you are with your fitness, this body forward riding position may be difficult for you. 

Here's my personal road bike.  While it doesn't fit into Bicycling Magazine's category "Road - Dream", it really is just about my dream bike (Pinarello ROKH):

Bicycling Magazine actually puts that bike in the Road - Plush category.  Why it falls into this category is a good reason for you to go visit your local bike shop - they can help you sort out the many different styles of Road Bikes.  If you are interested in a road bike, read the reviews of the bikes in the "Road - New Rider" category.

The bikes found in this 'New Rider' category are going to have frames mostly of aluminum, but there may be a lower end carbon frame in this bunch.  Component group (see your local bike shop... ;) will be lower to mid range as will wheels, saddle, handlebars etc. 

Getting involved in road riding is pretty easy.  Every local bike shop here in Greenville offers an opportunity for group rides - it's pretty much common everywhere.  They'll have a group ride for just about every level of rider available.  You should also support your local Bicycling club - they are working to make roads safe and to promote bicycling as a mode of transportation, not just for kids.  If you don't know how to find out about a local club.....yes, go talk to the folks at your local bike shop.  They'll point you in the right direction.  

Mountain Bikes:
Another category to consider are the Mountain bikes.  These are 'fat tire' bikes generally with gearing.  Some of these are fully rigid (no suspension) while others may have just a front suspension and then there is a crop of full suspension bikes.  They'll weigh more than a road bike and they won't be near as fast (on the road) but you get that back in comfort.  Of course, these bikes are made to handle off road terrain, so this opens up a whole new experience that Road riding can't touch.  The riding position is generally more upright and the bike will feel quite plush (as compared to a skinny tire road bike) - especially a full suspension bike. 

The variations on mountain bikes are massive.  Today you can get a mountain bike with 26" wheels, 27.5" wheels or 29" wheels.  There are plenty of people who will tell you one is better than another, but read up on the reviews a little and talk to the folks at the bike shop.  They'll help point you in the right direction.  I have three mountain bikes in my personal stable.  Single speed rigid, a front suspension multi geared bike and a full suspension multi-geared bike.  Here's my Surly 1x1 (single speed, rigid) and my full suspension Kona. 

Each bike has it's purpose, and for me it's all just for fun.  For you, the bikes in the mountain bike category (look again for the "Mountain - New Rider" category) will provide a comfortable mount for you to get around town or out on your local trails.  

Take note:  Mountain biking requires a level of skill beyond that needed for riding on the road.  If you choose to buy a mountain bike and wish to take it off road, please check into meeting up with a local IMBA chapter - see this information for a local chapter.  Folks in these organizations frequently offer up group rides and may cater to beginners.  If you don't have a local chapter, well, go talk to the folks at the local bike shop from which you purchased your bike - they'll be able to help you find opportunities to get off road in a location that best matches your ability. 

Hybrid Bikes:

Hybrid bikes are generally more oriented towards the road with skinny(ish) tires, but offer the comfort of an upright seating position.  From the Bicycling Magazine link above, check out the "Commuter and City" bike category. 

These bikes will move quite well on the road and handle some minor dirt or gravel conditions.  Generally these bikes have gears which make getting around much easier.  They'll be easy to attach a rack or a basket and in fact may come with some of this stuff.  Not much more to say about this category except - go see your local bike shop!

2.  How does this bike purchase fit your wallet?

This is a tough question.  Clearly if you go to Walmart or one of those types of stores you can find bikes for extremely cheap.  YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!  Please do a little research and purchase a quality bike - the kind that you find at a local bike shop.  You can buy new or used, but the value of quality groupset (shifters, derailleurs, brakes) makes a HUGE difference in how much time (or money) you'll spend on maintenance.  

You can see that bikes in the categories I've linked to above range from about $400 for the lower end bikes in Commuter / City and Mountain Bike new rider categories (about $600 in Road New rider)

and up to about $1400 for Mountain bike new rider, $1900 for Road New Rider and almost $5000 in the commuter / City category. 

Once you find the type of bike you want to ride, look into finding used.  Your local bike shop may have a bulletin board, online bike Forums, Craigslist, e-bay, etc.  All are good sources to find quality used bikes.  If you're not comfortable looking at a bike to asses it's condition, check with your local bike shop to see if they offer a service where they would check the bike out for you.  If someone is selling a quality bike, they should understand if you'd like to have a professional check it out for you.  Always check first with the bike shop, then suggest that the seller meet you there so you can look at and ride the bike. 

3.  Find the right bike frame size for your body. 
I can't stress how important this is.  There are some very detailed measurements that are taken when one goes to a professional bike fitting.  These measurements are intended to help the pro adjust your bike to fit you.  However, I don't recommend paying for a professional bike fitting at this stage, wait until you've found your inner cyclist and have decided that you really want to upgrade to a higher end bike.  That's the time to pay for a fitting (these can cost $200 or more and take several hours). 

However, since you're just getting into cycling, you'll have to do the best you can following the advice you'll receive from your local bike shop or from friends who are into cycling.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, ride a bike before you buy it.  Adjust the seat height and have a quick lesson on how to use the shifters.  Try to ride for more than just a few minutes.  If you're buying from a bike shop, they'll be able to set the right seat height. 

A couple of things to watch out for: 

• Don't 'reach' too far to the handlebars.  This can cause strain on your lower back and it indicates that the frame is too big for you.  Even in a body forward style road bike, you need to watch out for this.  Your core has to support your body when you are riding - you don't want too much weight on your hands (regardless of type of bike).  
• Seat height - your leg should not be fully extended but you don't want too much bend when the pedal is at the bottom of the stroke and the ball of your foot is on the pedal.  Just a little bit of bend is what you want.  Watch out for a seat tube that is extended all the way out or conversely seems to be all the way in.  All the way out could indicate that the frame is a little small, all the way in could indicate the frame is a little big.  If your knees are hitting the handlebar it's pretty likely the frame is too small.

Hopefully this information is helpful in getting you started on finding a bike.  Cycling is a fun, low impact exercise that you can enjoy with friends and family.  Additionally, cycling gives a great mental boost - it can really make you feel like a kid again. 

Of course, once you choose a bike, you'll have to outfit yourself with appropriate equipment and clothing.  I will say that you should purchase a helmet when you get the bike.  Nothing more important than protecting your head.  Next time we'll talk about other stuff you'll need to make your ride more enjoyable and safe. 

Wildlife sighting!!

Back out on the Dale Ball trail systems today.  Today we started from yet another trailhead, this one called Sierra Del Norte.

These trails, like those from yesterday, are very runnable.  That being said, there was a couple times where Jenny and / or I did some walking.  Probably still a function of the altitude despite the fact we've been at altitude for nearly a week.

 The map above labels the intersections.  Our route went from 1 to 2 to 3, although we took the big loop around to get to intersection 3.  Just after starting on that big loop and barely a mile in - Jenny trips on a rock.  She is fine, although likely her pride was as skinned up as her chin / hands / knee are.  She bumped her chin and her knee pretty hard.  I felt so bad for her.  She being the trooper she is, she kept running.

Shortly after that, I finally get a wildlife sighting!!  Coming around a bend I see a pretty big Coyote trotting up the trail in front of me.  He / She turned around and gave me a look, but turned left off the trail pretty quickly.  Jenny came up and we looked for a minute but the Coyote was gone.  The loop around from 2 to 3 is a beautiful trail with some very nice views out over Santa Fe.

At intersection 4 our garmins showed around 2 miles.  Jenny was worried about her knee so she headed back to the car while I continued to intersections 5, 10, 7, 6, then I started backtracking to intersection 5, 4, 3 - long way around to 2, then back to the car.

That put me a little over 5.5 miles on the day.  Amazing how the altitude affects one out here.  My heart rate was pretty high at times when I wasn't really moving that fast.  Beautiful place, great running conditions.  I only wish Jenny hadn't had her spill so we could have run together.